Halloween Shorts
by A Small Voice
Summary: One shots and blurbs written for the Halloween Content War on Tumblr. Mostly will be in TMB Universe because that's often on my mind.
1. Autumn

Day 1:

Dick took a deep breath of crisp Autumn air as he sat on a bench outside in the park near the art studio. He chanced a glance over at where Damian's class was gathered with their sketchbooks and easels. The good timing of his glance coincided with Damian absentmindedly brushing a paint covered hand across his cheek and leaving a streak of red and orange behind. Dick smirked.

Looking a bit more closely, he realized that Damian's typically black hair had streaks of red, orange, green and brown scattered all over. The kid couldn't have done a better job decorating himself if he had actually noticed he had been doing it. He looked like the colorful trees that surrounded him. The green jacket Dick had picked out at the store helped the image. The green jacket that also now had red and orange smeared on it. Dick hoped that would come out. He rather liked the jacket with how it dwarfed Damian.

The young teenager took another deep breath of fresh-ish air. He spaced out as he looked around at the trees. It was mid-October and the temperature was dropping. He already missed the warmth, but the trees had bloomed into color to make up for it. Then there were pumpkin patches, apple cider, apples, and other harvest activates. Halloween was coming up soon. Dick was already going through what the world had to offer for kid appropriate Halloween movies that wouldn't freak either of them out.

Damian would have to go trick or treating. Maybe they could get Sigmore to go with them. For fun as well as protection. They could go to a mild haunted house or something. He was musing about what their costumes could be when Damian's class broke up. The little kid came trotting over, chattering excitedly, and showing Dick his newest painting. Dick grinned at the forest Damian had painted. It was really good for his age. He held the painting while they headed back into the studio and set it down on the shelf to dry. After encouraging Damian to wash his hands, he ushered them out the door to head home.

Damian hummed contentedly, holding onto Dick's hand and skipping slightly. His personality had shifted drastically from the prickly, scared toddler Dick had first met. A little loving and the kid feel right into his sweet self, with plenty of mischief left to play with. Dick watched, keeping a tight grip as Damian pounced on leaves to hear them crunch, and kicked at piles. It was peaceful as they walked through the park towards a nice café where they would wait for pick up. They had wonderful apple cider and hot chocolate for the season, and both Damian and Dick loved their pastries and ice cream.

"Can we get a pumpkin chocolate chip muffin today?" Damian asked, blinking his eyes up at his brother.

Dick chuckled. "Sure. Why not?" All was peaceful in the Autumn air.


	2. Celebration

Day 2: Celebration

A celebration can mean a wide variety of things. You can celebrate a birthday with a large party, a small gathering, or a small cupcake just for you. An anniversary can be laying together, just resting, watching a movie, or it can be a fancy dinner at an expensive restaurant with beautiful clothing that you had to save a year to afford.

The things we celebrate vary with the wind. We celebrate holidays. We celebrate the Harvest, and things we enjoy. We celebrate friendships, and we celebrate accomplishments. We celebrate life. We celebrate both the small things and the good things. Sometimes the reason to celebrate is a baby's first steps. Sometimes, it's a good day, a spotlight in a month of bad days. Sometimes it's as grand as coming of age in a Bat Mitzvah, Sweet Sixteen, Commencement, and sometimes it's as small as making someone laugh who hasn't laughed in a long time.

Say you've escaped the horrors that used to torment you, and now it's time to heal. The scars are fresh, and just barely beginning to scab over. You jump at the small things, the things that used to not scare you. Strobe lights make you feel sick, and you yearn to bring color back into your life. Every small step is an accomplishment. Every small thing deserves a celebration, a gift for making it to the next thing.

For Richard Wayne, he had a hard time remembering to celebrate. He had a hard time realizing there were things to celebrate. What was being able to sit up when he used to be able to stand? What was being able to walk when he used to be able to run? What was making it through a whole day without disassociating when he used to spend weeks having fun with his friends?

The little things in life escaped him. Everything was a struggle. Until the little bright spot in his life decided that every little bit of progress he made deserved a gold sticker.

Of course, he had been the one to originally introduce the concept of gold stickers, but Damian had remembered and latched onto it with a manic glee. Walking down the stairs. Sticker. Laughing at a joke. Sticker. Puns. Sticker. Going outside and enjoying the sun and the rain. Sticker.

And if by the end, all the little celebrations added up, well, who was Richard to complain?


	3. Chapter 3

April Fools!

Only one of my stories has a real update. This is not it.


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